French Muslims Overwhelmingly Supported Socialist

Does a person’s religion help determine his or her decisions in political elections? While most people would agree there is often a high degree of correlation between religious and political identification, rarely does the linkage stand out as strongly as it did in the recent presidential elections in France.

According to stories from the International Islamic News Agency (IINA) and other news outlets, a survey of 10,000 voters documented an almost unimaginable correlation between religious identification and one’s choice for President. According to IINA, Francois Hollande was the only candidate of Muslims, while Roman Catholics overwhelming backed the failed bid by Nicolas Sarkozy to win reelection:

According to a survey of 10,000 voters conducted by Opinionway for Le Figaro (not online), 93 percent of French Muslims voted for Francois Hollande in the second round of the French election, La Vie reports.

Another poll put Muslim support for Hollande at 85 percent.

A prior Opinionway survey showed that 59 percent of Muslim voters (numbering about two million in total) voted for Hollande in the first round of the French elections, with Sarkozy only managing four percent.

“It is the mark of a true rejection of Nicolas Sarkozy” said Julien Goarant, research director at Opinionway. Sarkozy’s attempts to woo Far-right voters and question the role of Islam (especially Halal meat) in France also did not go unnoticed.